Down the Valley of the Shadow
by dnachemlia
Summary: The content of a mysterious package on Gibbs' desk sends the team on a desperate mission to find one of their own before time runs out. WEE fic written for BlackSwan.
1. Chapter 1

**Down the Valley of the Shadow**

2011 WEE (White Elephant Exchange) Fic written for BlackSwan

Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Angst

Rating: FR15 for disturbing imagery, violence, and language (don't worry, Nat said I wasn't allowed to kill any major character ;D )

Characters: Gibbs and the team, a few guest appearances from previous episodes, and a few OCs

Disclaimer: Don't own, just playing, yadda yadda

Prompt [1] _What's in the Box?__ There is a mysterious package sitting on Gibbs's desk, addressed to the boss . . . but he's not around. One of the team members—Tony, Tim, Ziva, Kate, Abby, Ducky, or Jimmy—opens the box, either out of curiosity, on a dare or bet, or by accident somehow. What does the team member find inside, and how will he or she explain his/her actions to an irate Gibbs when the boss returns?  
The contents could be gruesome or dangerous, leading to an investigation . . . or they could be personal, humorous, ominous, or just plain baffling. Maybe there's nothing in the box but a bullet casing—or a photograph—or a bouquet of dead flowers sent by an ex-wife. It's your choice—surprise me!_

**Summary: The content of a mysterious package on Gibbs' desk sends the team on a desperate mission to find one of their own before time runs out.**

A/N: The title is from a poem by Edgar Allan Poe, to be revealed at the end. A big thank you to Sergeant Conley for beta-ing this for me.

* * *

Chapter 1

Tony stepped off the elevator with a grin on his face, eager to share with his teammates the details of his weekend off. He could just imagine their responses: Ziva would make some comment about his choice of activities and Tim would just roll his eyes, but they would still listen, because that's what teammates were for. It wasn't often any of them had news _not_ related to work to share, and Tony loved to make the most of any opportunity he had to brag about his recreational exploits.

He passed Gibbs desk and noticed a box sitting next to the Boss's main computer. He paused to take a closer look and saw that the box was in fact addressed to Gibbs, but bore no other identifiers.

"What are you doing, Tony?"

He looked up to see one of his teammates enter the bullpen.

"Nothing, Ziva."

"Nothing? It looks like you are checking out Gibbs' package."

Tony winced. He wasn't even going to try and explain the _faux pas_ of _that_ statement to Ziva.

"Just being cautious. Wouldn't want any nasty surprises. For the Boss, I mean."

"I am sure." She sat down at her desk and Tony returned to his. They both started to check their emails, but soon Tony's attention strayed to the brown parcel. Ziva noticed and snorted in disgust.

"Why must you be so nosy?"

"It's part of being a good investigator, Ziva. You never know when something so seemingly innocent could be major trouble."

"It is a box, Tony. It must have passed some sort of inspection to get here. I am sure it is harmless."

"The last time I opened a 'harmless' piece of mail-"

"Yes, I know, you were infected with the plague. I have heard that story many times."

"And it bears repeating. Wise words of caution, Ziva."

"Of course."

"So what do you think it is?"

"I have no idea, Tony."

"Maybe it's from an ex."

"In that case you should definitely not open it."

"Book of the month club?"

"Tony…"

"You're right, it's too big for that. Cake of the month? Fruit of the Month?" Ziva rolled her eyes and he grinned. "Or maybe it's a head. You know, like in _Se7en_? Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey…_'What's in the box!'_"

She merely shook her head at his poor impersonation. "If you are so worried, maybe you should just open it."

"No way. Boss catches me doing something like that and my head will be sore for a week. Maybe I'll get McGee to do it. Where is he, anyway?"

"No idea. Maybe he is still recovering from the weekend," she added with a suggestive smirk.

"Yeah, right. This is McGeek we're talking about. He probably got way too involved in some MM..R… some online game. He'll come rushing in any minute and apologize for being late and then-"

"You will blackmail him into opening the box."

"I wouldn't call it blackmail…"

"Of course not."

Ziva returned to her work and he continued to stare at the box.

"Then again, opening mail is a Probie type of job…"

She sent him a glare. "Do not forget, this 'Probie' can kill you nineteen different ways with a paper clip."

"I thought it was eighteen?"

"I discovered another."

"Oh, come on, Ziva, aren't you just a little curious?"

"No. If Gibbs wants us to know what it is, he will tell us. Besides, you are way too curious for your own good. Such curiosity killed the rat, you know."

"Cat, Ziva."

"Whatever."

He showed her his most pleading, puppy-dog expression and she sighed in frustration.

"Tony…fine. But if Gibbs asks, it was your idea." She pulled out her knife, approached Gibbs' desk, and stopped to examine the box. She paused and looked around, but the Lead Agent was nowhere to be seen. She carefully ran the knife down the center of the box, cutting the tape, and then opened both sets of flaps to look inside. When she caught a glimpse of the contents she froze, her eyes widening.

"What is it?"

She stepped back and turned to him, her worry barely concealed. "Look."

He peered into the box and swore softly. McGee's ID and badge lay inside, along with a DVD and what looked like a jam jar filled with a dark red congealed substance.

"Is that…?"

"What are you doing?"

They both looked up to see Gibbs approaching.

"Boss, I think we have a problem…"

"Besides you two opening my mail?" He walked to his desk and looked inside the box, biting back a curse when he saw what was inside. "We're taking this to Abby's lab. Now."

Tony rummaged in his backpack for a pair of gloves and Ziva pulled out her cell phone. She dialed McGee's cell number and waited. "Not in service." She quickly dialed his home number. "Voicemail." Tony pulled on the gloves he had found and carefully picked up the box before heading to the elevator, followed closely by Gibbs and Ziva.

They exchanged worried looks but the ride down was silent. When they reached Abby's lab, the music was blaring and Abby had her back to them, bouncing slightly with the beat. Gibbs unceremoniously pulled the plug on the radio and she turned with a look of extreme annoyance.

"Hey! Gibbs? What are you-?"

"Evidence, Abby," said Tony. "We need you to check this immediately."

"That's an unusual packaging method, Tony," she said with a grin, which faltered when she saw his expression. "What's going on?"

"We need you to check everything in the box: prints, what's on the DVD, ID the stuff in the jar. Now, Abbs," said Gibbs.

"OK…" She looked in the box and gasped. "But that's…that's McGee's ID. What… where is he?"

"Abby, you must remain calm-"

"I _am_ calm, Ziva. Now tell me what's going on or that will change _real_ quick!"

"We have been unable to contact him."

"You think he's…no, no he can't-"

"We won't know until you check the evidence, Abbs."

She took a deep breath. "OK, OK, I can do this. Positive thoughts…"

She retrieved the Alternate Light Source and goggles for herself and the team. "Someone hit the lights," she said and Tony did as she asked. She scanned the ALS over the package. "Lots of prints. This is going to be messy." She scanned the items in the package. "None in here." She put the equipment aside and took out the jar, paling when she took a better look at the contents.

"Oh God…" She set the jar on the table and went to retrieve some reagents and a couple of test kits. She opened the jar and swabbed the side to collect some of the substance, then added drops from three separate reagent bottles. When the swab turned bright pink they all winced.

"It's blood." She removed some more of the blood and added it to an OBTI test tube, mixed it, and then added to the test bar. After a couple of minutes, two blue lines appeared in the window. "Human blood. I'll do DNA to confirm, but that's going to take time…I can type it, at least." She opened the Eldoncard kit and added the blood to the card. "It's Tim's blood type," she said in a shaky voice. Gibbs and Ziva both swore and Tony looked as if he was going to be sick. "But it's a fairly common type, right? I mean, it could be someone else…"

Gibbs put a hand on her shoulder. "What about the DVD?"

"Right, OK." She opened the case, inserted the disk into the drive and waited for a prompt to open the files. "It looks like a video." She clicked on the file and opened it, as Gibbs put his right arm around her shoulder. Tony and Ziva moved to her right side and leaned in to get a closer look at the screen.

At first, the screen was dark, but then the fuzzy image lightened and focused to reveal a sign with a hand-printed message:

_**I must not only punish, but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong.**_

The image lingered long enough for them to read the message several times. The camera then panned away from the sign and focused on a dimly lit room. In the center of the room was a table. On the table was a male body, clad in sweat pants and a t-shirt. The camera started to move closer, as if the person operating it was walking towards the body, and soon it was clearly recognizable.

"Oh, God. Timmy…"

The camera moved to focus on McGee's face, showing his lax features all too clearly. Suddenly, a gloved hand entered the screen and slapped him. His eyes immediately snapped open and then closed as he winced in obvious pain before opening them again. The confusion in his expression soon gave way to fear and he started to speak.

"_What…what are you doing?"_ The view shifted as the camera was placed off to the side and they heard a faint tearing sound, followed by McGee's still groggy voice.

"_No, wait-"_ They heard a muffled cry and soon the view of the camera shifted again and refocused on McGee, who now had a piece of duct tape over his mouth and his eyes were wide open. He tried to speak but his voice was too muffled to understand, and a look of panic and fear crossed his face as the hand re-appeared, this time holding a scalpel.

"No!" Abby cried and covered her eyes. Gibbs tightened his grip on her shoulder as he watched the screen, while Tony and Ziva were unable to tear their gazes away.

The camera followed the hand as it moved down to McGee's left arm, which they could now see was bound to the table with a leather restraint. They could also see that McGee was struggling against his bonds to no avail. The scalpel was pressed against his skin, but before it penetrated the view shifted again. They could no longer see what was happening to him and they soon heard a muffled cry of pain. After what seemed like eternity, the view shifted again and the camera focused on another printed sign.

_**This is my game: follow the clues, find your agent.**_

_**Don't be late, or he will be.**_

_**Your move.**_

_**I'll be waiting.**_

The screen went blank and suddenly they were looking at a picture: a silhouette of the lady justice next to a picture of a cross. The camera focused on it briefly before shifting once again to show McGee's face, pinched with pain, His eyes opened and he stared directly into the camera, sending a silent plea to his audience before the image went black.

The clip ended and the group stared at the screen, unable to immediately deal with what they had just seen. Abby was shaking as Gibbs unconsciously started to comfort her before he gave her the bad news.

"Abby? We need to see it again."

"I…I can't watch it, Gibbs."

"It's OK. Just get it started for us."

She nodded, started the video. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and quickly opened them again. "No. I have to help find the clues. I can do this for Timmy." She stared at the screen with intensity as the others took a deep breath and prepared themselves to watch it again.

After viewing it a second time, Gibbs turned to his agents.

"Well?"

"I recognize the quote," said Ziva. It is from 'The Cask of Amontillado', by Edgar Allan Poe. It is a story about revenge."

"Revenge? So this…this is about revenge? For what?"

"Guess we better find that out, DiNozzo. Anything else?"

"Scales of justice and a cross? I have no idea…but we'll figure it out. Come on, Ziva." He turned to leave and paused. "Are you going to be OK, Abby?"

"Not until you bring Timmy home. You're going to bring him home, right, Gibbs?"

He nodded, fully aware that the truth depended on too many things, and they were running out of time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Down the Valley of the Shadow**

Chapter 2

Gibbs pulled out his cell phone and punched a number. "Duck? We need you in Abby's lab. Now." He snapped the phone shut and turned to his agents. "Tony, find out who was the last person to see McGee. Ziva, start checking case files for anyone who had the means to do this." He turned to Abby. "Get me everything you can about that video to find out where it was taken."

"What about the clues? Shouldn't we try to-"

"I'd rather not play the game, Abby, at least not yet. I remember what happened the last time we had something like this. Let's work on finding McGee without tipping this guy off."

"Boss, do you think McGee is still…?"

"Until I see otherwise, DiNozzo, he's alive. Get going."

"Yes, Boss."

Tony and Ziva ran for the elevator and Gibbs returned his attention to Abby as she started to work on the video. She froze when she reached the wide-eyed image of McGee, just after his mouth had been taped shut.

"He looks so scared," she whispered.

"He'll be fine, Abbs."

"How could someone do this to him?"

He put a comforting arm around her shoulder. "That's what we're going to find out."

She nodded and went back to work. Soon they heard Ducky's voice as he stepped into the lab.

"What in the world is going on, Jethro?"

Gibbs stepped aside so he could see the computer monitor. "Show him, Abby."

She started the video and Ducky watched, his eyes widening in horror as he saw what was being done to McGee.

"Good Lord…"

When the video ended, he shuddered.

"You, OK, Duck?"

"Sorry, unpleasant memories. Do we have any idea when this was taken?"

"Not yet." He pointed to the jar of blood sitting on the lab table. "The bastard sent that in the same box, along with McGee's ID and badge. It's blood, same type as McGee."

"Was there any indication that more blood was removed?"

"No. What's this mean for McGee?"

Ducky examined the level in the jar. "Well this represents about four percent of normal blood volume. The average person can lose around ten percent with no lasting ill effects."

"Good to know."

Ducky motioned to Gibbs, and they retreated to the far side of the lab, leaving Abby to work on the video. When they were far enough away, Ducky lowered his voice and spoke intently to Gibbs. "I'm more concerned about the message. This kidnapper is telling us he wants us to know who he is, but he also expects to get away with it. If Timothy has seen his abductor…"

"Yeah, I know, Duck, which is why I don't want to play his game."

Ducky grimaced. "I understand, Jethro, but I worry what will happen if we refuse. Based on what I have seen, this person needs to be in control. If we don't go along with this…"

"Then McGee will be even worse off. Damn it."

"I would be happy to offer my assistance in deciphering the puzzle. With a combined effort, we should be able to beat this man at his own game."

Gibbs managed a smile. "Thanks Duck." He glanced over at Abby, but she was still absorbed in her work. "Guess I better go inform the director."

XXX

Vance looked up just as Gibbs entered the director's office.

"Agent Gibbs. Common courtesy still escapes you, doesn't it?"

"No time, Leon. Just here to inform you that McGee's been abducted."

Vance's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "When?"

"Still figuring that one out. The kidnapper sent us a video and McGee's ID."

"Damn it. With McGee's skills and level of access-"

"Don't think they took him for his security clearance, Leon."

"Then what?"

"Personal, or at least against the team."

Vance sighed. "Who did you piss off this time, Gibbs?"

"Working on that one, too."

"What do you need from me?"

"My team will be working this case, _only_ this case."

"I'll see what I can do. What do you know so far?"

"The kidnapper wants to play a game. He sent clues in the video, a quote and pictures. He also sent us a jar of McGee's blood."

"Blood? Is there evidence that Agent McGee is still alive?"

"None that he isn't, so far."

"So we're playing the kidnapper's game."

"Not if I can help it, Leon. We're working on finding McGee before this game plays out."

"Because you think McGee won't survive if it does." Gibbs didn't answer. "Anything else?"

"I'll keep you informed."

"You do that."

After Gibbs left, Vance leaned back in his chair and sighed.

_If it's not one damn thing with that team, it's another._

He picked up his phone and started to dial. It was time to call in reinforcements, whether Gibbs liked it or not.

XXX

Tony wanted to put his fist through the monitor of his computer. He knew he was a little out of his league when it came to detailed computer searches. He had relied on McGee to do them for years and now the methods and programs he had been used to using in his earlier years as an agent were woefully out of date. McGee _had_ shown him the newer programs, but he still wasn't comfortable with them.

_Soon as we get you back, McGee, I'm getting a refresher course._

He winced. If they didn't get McGee back, it would probably be _his_ fault. He should have paid more attention…

Suddenly, Gibbs voice cut through his thoughts.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

He looked up to see a tall, brown haired man standing near Gibbs' desk.

"Director Vance sent me up here to assist with your case, sir…er, Agent Gibbs."

"I didn't ask for help, Keating."

"S-sorry, sir…Gibbs. The Director said-."

"You need someone for the computer searches, Gibbs."

They all looked up to see Vance standing on the stairs.

"Leon-"

"Not negotiable. We need as many on this as we can get. I have other agents, Metro, and both Maryland and Virginia state police on tap to assist with the ground searches."

"You worried about McGee or what someone can get out of him?"

"This is neither the time nor the place for that discussion, Gibbs. Just find him." Vance walked back up the stairs and disappeared into his office. Gibbs stood in silence for a moment before turning to Tony.

"DiNozzo."

"No activity on his credit cards this morning or last night. His last ATM withdrawal was Friday night at 2100. Last seen by his apartment manager Friday night, and McGee's car is still parked in the lot in front of his building."

"Keating."

"Yes, Gibbs?"

"Take over for DiNozzo. See what else you can find out about where McGee was this weekend, then start reviewing case files for motive, means, and opportunity." He glanced at McGee's desk. "And don't change any of his settings."

"Y-yes, Gibbs."

"Ziva?"

"I have only been able to review the most recent cases so far, Gibbs. There is no one who has had access to McGee that I have been able to find."

"Go talk to Ducky, see if he's had any luck with the puzzle. Both of you can work on that."

"But I thought…yes, Gibbs." She headed for the elevator.

"DiNozzo!"

"Yes, Boss?"

"Meet me in the garage, as soon as you're done with Keating. We're going to McGee's apartment."

"Yes, Boss."

Gibbs headed for the stairs.

"Wow," said Keating. "He hasn't mellowed any, has he?"

"One of our agents is missing, Keating. Do you really expect Gibbs to be 'mellow'?"

"No, of course not. It's just…look." He lowered his voice. "I know you don't want me here, and to be perfectly honest, _I_ don't want to be here, but I'm just trying to help. OK? So tell me what you've done."

Tony sighed. "Fine." He described his work to Keating and soon the computer expert was typing away at McGee's computer. "Gibbs was serious about the settings."

"I understand. Good luck with your search."

"Thanks."

XXX

Their search of McGee's apartment turned up nothing: no evidence of violence or even an unwelcome intruder. None of the neighbors remembered a disturbance or even seeing McGee that weekend. The security tapes, however, showed that McGee had left early Sunday morning, dressed in running gear but hadn't returned. They spoke to his neighbors again, but none knew his normal route. Finally they checked the local businesses for their security footage, but none showed McGee. They did identify a blank spot in footage between McGee's apartment and the surround area, but a search of the block revealed nothing. Frustrated, they returned to NCIS and immediately went down to Autopsy where Ducky and Ziva were still working.

"Anything?" Ziva asked as soon as the set foot through the door.

"No. You?"

"We found a copy of the story from which the quote was taken," Ducky replied. "We have been cross checking the names and key words in the story with names in cases, particularly lawyers, and the word 'cross' and well as related terms. Nothing so far. I'm afraid these 'clues' are meant more to confuse than help."

"Refresh my memory, Ducky. What was the story about? Ziva mentioned revenge."

"Yes, it's a classic tale of retribution, although we, as readers, are never informed of the actual crime. The target of the retribution is a man named Fortunato, who has earned the ire of the narrator, identified at the end of the story as Montressor."

"Wait, Montressor?" asked Tony.

"Yes, why?"

"Nothing. I just went to college with a guy by that name. Rick Montressor." They all turned to look at him and Tony rushed to explain. "I hadn't really thought about it in years. He tried to pledge my fraternity."

"Tried?"

"Well…I kind of kept him from getting in. He really hated me after that, tried to make my life Hell."

"What else?"

"I…well, I remember seeing something about him in the _Post_ a couple of years ago. Hot-shot Georgetown lawyer, sponsoring a scholarship for the members of the fraternity he finally joined."

"Would there be a record of pledges for your old fraternity?" asked Gibbs.

"Yeah, they kept a list. Why?"

"How easy would it be for someone to access it?"

"No idea, Boss, that's McGee's department." He grimaced when he realized what he had said. "Sorry."

"We did not find his name when we checked the records of lawyers for any of our cases, Gibbs."

"You wouldn't. He's a corporate lawyer, not a criminal lawyer," said Tony. "You really think this is related, Boss?"

Ziva turned back to the computer and searched for his name. "Rick Montressor. He works for a Law firm in Northwest DC. He also owns several businesses, including a 'wine boutique' for fine Italian wines." She turned to the three men. "It is called 'Amontillado'."

"That's would be one hell of a coincidence, if we believed in them," said Tony. "But why would he abduct McGee?"

"Guess we better find out, DiNozzo."

"Boss, we can't just go after this guy."

"We're not. We're going to try and find McGee first. Let's go."

XXX

On the way to the shop, Gibbs called Vance and had him set up surveillance on Montressor. The man was still at his office when Vance called back to confirm the operation, and if the lawyer made any move he would be detained.

When they reached _Amontillado_, Gibbs sent Ziva around back to watch the exits while he and Tony went inside. The man at the counter looked up and smiled.

"May I help you, gentlemen?"

"Got a few questions about your boss," said Gibbs as he and Tony showed their badges.

"Mr. Andretti?"

Gibbs and Tony glanced at each other. "No, Mr. Montressor."

"Oh. He's the owner. Mr. Andretti is my direct supervisor…my boss. I have only spoken to Mr. Montressor twice since I started working here, three years ago, when the business was established. I'm afraid I won't be much help."

"Does he seem like the type to hold a grudge?" asked Tony.

"I wouldn't know, Mr…?"

"DiNozzo. Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. He ever mention me?"

"No, sir. What is this about?"

Gibbs pulled out a photo of McGee. "Have you seen this man?"

The clerk leaned close and stared at the picture, his eyebrows knitting in confusion after a few moments. "No, I'm sorry, I've never seen him before. What is this about?"

"He's a federal agent, and he's missing. We have reason to believe Mr. Montressor might be involved."

"That's ridiculous. Mr. Montressor is an upstanding member of the community, _and_ a lawyer. He would never-"

"I thought you didn't know him that well."

The man blushed. "I don't have to know him well to know that. My supervisor has spoken very highly of him, and I trust his judgment, and from what I _do_ know, there would be no reason to suspect him of any wrongdoing."

"Right."

Before Tony could ask the next question, they were interrupted by the arrival of another man, dressed in slightly dusty work clothes.

"Ian, the delivery truck just pulled up, and…" He noticed the two agents and his eyes widened in surprise. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

Gibbs flashed his badge. "NCIS." The man looked startled. "Is there a problem?"

"Uh, no. I, uh…I have something for you. Be right back." He turned and disappeared through the door and returned about thirty seconds later, carrying a box.

"Some guy stopped by early this morning, and gave me $50 and told me to make sure that when NCIS showed up, to give them this." He held it out to them.

"Set it down on the counter and back away," ordered Gibbs as he drew his weapon and pointed it at the man.

"Whoa! Chill, man, it's just a box. The guy told me it's harmless."

"And you believed him?" snapped Tony as the man set the box on the counter.

"I told him if it wasn't he'd better pay me a hell of a lot more than $50." He stepped away with his hands in the air.

"What'd this guy look like?"

"I don't know, I didn't look that close. Just a guy. Tall. He was wearing a hoodie with a hat and sunglasses, and gloves."

"Did he have a car? Anything like that?"

"I didn't see one. He was waiting when I got here, and he just walked off. Sorry man, I thought it was easy money. What's going on?"

Tony pulled a pair of gloves out of his bag and put them on before bending down to examine the box. "Looks like the other one, Boss. What do you want to do?" He looked up and met Gibbs' gaze. "Right." He pulled out his knife and carefully slit the tape holding the flaps of the boxed closed. He then carefully opened the flaps, looked inside, and swore. There was another jar full of a dark red substance, along with three pictures, and a handwritten note.

"Looks like another message, Boss." The first picture was of a mausoleum, the second was of a shrouded body with a question mark drawn over the face. The third caused his heart to sink: it was McGee, bound to the same table they had seen in the video, a bloody cut on his left arm.

Tony carefully put the pictures back in the box. He then picked up the note and read the three words inscribed on it:

_Nameless here forevermore._


	3. Chapter 3

**Down the Valley of the Shadow**

Chapter 3

"What now, Boss?"

Gibbs stared down at the pictures in Tony's hand and swore when he saw the one of McGee. He turned to the man who had delivered the box. "You're coming with us,

Mister...?"

"Hoffman. Mark Hoffman. Am I under arrest?"

"No, you're a material witness, but we could make a convincing argument to charge you as an accessory," Tony replied, as Gibbs called Ziva and told her to meet them at the car.

"I'm calling Mr. Andretti," whined Ian from behind the counter. "He has connections. He will not appreciate you taking one of his people-"

"Someone took one of _my_ people, and _he_ has a connection to him," growled Gibbs, jabbing a finger at the Hoffman. "Any other questions?"

Ian just shook his head.

Tony carefully lifted the box and carried it out the door while Gibbs led Hoffman to the car and pushed him into the back seat. Ziva joined their witness in the back seat and Tony climbed in the passenger side. He soon found himself hanging on to the box for dear life as Gibbs drove them back to the Yard at top speed. He ignored the groans from the back seat and turned to Gibbs.

"Boss, these pictures and the quote, I think I know where this guy wants us to go next."

"What were the clues?" asked Ziva from the back seat.

"A mausoleum, a body, and another quote: 'Nameless here forevermore'. It's-"

"From _The Raven_, also by Poe."

"Right, and that along with the other clues, it sounds like he's sending us to-"

"TheTomb of the Unknown Soldier, in Arlington National Cemetery. Gibbs, we should-"

"Stop talking about the case in front of the witness," growled Gibbs.

Tony glanced in the back seat and saw that Hoffman was hanging onto the door, his eyes closed and faced scrunched in terror. "I don't think he's paying attention to us, Boss.

Without taking his eyes off the road, Gibbs reached over and smacked the back of Tony's head.

"Sorry, Boss. Do you think-?"

"I _think_ we need to find McGee before he loses more than blood."

"Right. But-"

"No, I don't think that's where he's sending us. Too obvious, and the Tomb is guarded twenty-four hours a day. There's no way something could be left there unnoticed, and the guards couldn't be bribed to take something."

"It still could be at Arlington. There are over five thousand graves of unknowns there."

"How do you even _know_ that, Ziva?"

"I have been reading up on American History, Tony. I thought I should know these things, now."

Gibbs pulled out his cell and punched a number. "Leon, call the state police, I need a search at Arlington, around the graves of unknowns. That's what I said. I know it's a lot of ground to cover, so they better get started. What? Yeah, we got another box. Understood." He snapped the phone shut.

"Boss…you still don't think that's it. Then why…?" He caught Gibbs' glare. "Got it." A slim chance was more than they needed to take. Tony settled back in his seat and waited for the ride to end, his mind on what they have been given, and what it all might mean for McGee.

They soon arrived at the Yard and Gibbs sent Tony and Ziva to Interrogation with Hoffman, while he carried the box down to Autopsy. He had decided to talk to Ducky first before upsetting Abby further, and he felt in his gut that the pictures would provide more information from their subjects than from recoverable fingerprints. When he arrived, he saw that Ducky still had the photos from the previous box and stills from the DVD spread out on one of the tables. The older man looked up just as Gibbs entered the room.

"Jethro, what-" He noticed the box. "Another set of clues?"

"Yeah, and another jar, probably the same contents as last time."

"Oh, dear. Poor Timothy." His worried expression was soon clouded by anger. "What did this bastard have to say this time?" Gibbs pulled on a pair of gloves and took the card out of the box to show to Ducky. He read the inscription out loud. "'_Nameless here forevermore_.' Odd. A poem this time. I wonder…"

"Wonder what, Duck?"

"The theme of the story from which the first quote was taken was revenge. Now we have a poem about lost love. Is the abductor telling us his reasons for doing this? Perhaps that in itself is a clue."

Gibbs pulled out his cell phone and punched another number. "Keating? Check for cases where either the victim or perpetrator left behind a surviving family member or spouse. Yes, I know that's a lot of ground to cover, just do it." He snapped the phone shut with more vigor than usual. "Anything else?"

"Perhaps it would help if I saw the rest of the items you received?"

Gibbs handed Ducky the photos, and the M.E. paused when he saw the picture of McGee.

"How bad, Duck?"

"The wound does not look to be too deep, Jethro, but it is difficult to tell. If the size of the jar is then same, then he is still within the acceptable limit for blood loss, but if there are more clues…the situation becomes much more grave, especially if all of the blood was collected at the same time." He looked at the other two pictures. "A tomb and an unknown body. Perhaps-"

"Already checking Arlington, Duck."

"Yes, but I suppose that would be too simple…and you already though of this. This particular clue could also be referring to Potter's Field, where unclaimed bodies are often buried."

"Where would we find one?"

"There's Blue Plains in Anacostia, and of course there are several others in Maryland and Virginia, but…it's not specific, Jethro. The last set of clues had a personal connection to one of your team members. I'm beginning to suspect this one will as well. Did Tony or Ziva recognize anything from these pictures?"

"I'll send them down to look."

Ducky took another look at the mausoleum picture and frowned. "I think _I_ need to take a closer look." He went to search for a magnifying glass.

"I'll be with Abby. Call me if you find something." Gibbs left as Ducky was bending over the picture again and muttering to himself.

When he arrived at the lab, Abby was still working on the video, her fingers flying over the keyboard and her nose almost touching the computer screen.

"Abbs?"

She jumped and glanced at Gibbs before quickly returning her attention to the screen. "I don't have anything yet, Gibbs. I've been trying to focus on the background of the room, looking for little details to try and get some idea of the location. I've also screened the audio files and tried to isolate distinctive background noises, but…" Gibbs placed a hand on her shoulder and she slumped against him. "I can't figure it out, Gibbs. There's nothing there." Finally she noticed the box and paled. "Is that-?"

"Looks like it."

"Oh, God…OK, I can do this. I'll check it for prints, but if it's anything like the last one…"

"I know. How are you holding up?"

"I just want to find him, Gibbs."

"We all do, Abbs, and we'll find him."

"In time?"

"In time."

Suddenly Gibbs' phone rang and he quickly answered it. "Yeah, Gibbs…Yeah, Duck, I'll be right there." He gave Abby a brief one-armed hug and retraced his steps to Autopsy.

When he arrived, the normally unflappable M.E. was distinctly agitated.

"What's wrong, Duck?"

"I examined the picture of the mausoleum under higher magnification and I found some details that I recognize. Look here." He pointed to an arrangement of stones near the crypt. "I remember the names, as they are unusual and caught my attention the last time I was there, although a considerable amount of time has passed: nearly six years. I know this place, Jethro, and believe me, the clues now make much more sense." He picked up the picture of the shrouded body and held it up to Gibbs' face. "Notice anything?"

Gibbs stared at the picture for a few seconds before it hit him. "It's a woman. A Jane Doe."

"Yes, and do you remember one of our cases, not long after Timothy joined your team? A woman was found raped and murdered and dressed in a Navy lieutenant's uniform, similar to another case I had ten years prior. Your case was a copy cat and you solved it, but the original Jane Doe was still never identified. She is interred in _that_ mausoleum."

"And you think…"

"The abductor is telling you to go there."

Gibbs sighed. "I hate playing this game, Duck. Are we really getting any closer to finding McGee?"

"I'm afraid, Jethro, that this man is just getting started, and he enjoys this game far too well. I don't think we have much choice but to play along."

"Damn it. Alright, do you have-?" Ducky silently handed him a slip of paper with the address written in neat script. "Thanks, Duck."

"Good luck, Jethro, and be careful. This man is highly organized, and unlikely to make mistakes, but he is also dangerously knowledgeable of your team and our history. I am worried for your safety as well as Timothy's. Do not give him a chance to harm you."

"Understood."

XXX

Gibbs and Tony sped towards the cemetery, both worried about what they would find, and both working diligently not to show it.

Ziva was still at the Yard, helping Keating. She and Tony had not gotten much out of Hoffman, other than assurances that he was planning on suing NCIS for cruel and unusual punishment; he had cited Gibbs' driving as an example. Vance was coordinating with the search teams at Arlington, and had not been thrilled to learn that such searches were expected to be useless. In the back of his mind, Gibbs had an unvoiced hope that maybe they would find something, and the abductor was not as familiar with the team as they feared.

When Gibbs and Tony arrived at the cemetery, they quickly found someone to open the crypt and headed for their target. Once the tomb had been opened, they stepped inside and looked around, their gazes soon falling on a familiar-looking box near the base of one of the alcoves. Exercising their normal precautions, they opened the box and found at least one item that was sickeningly familiar.

The looked at the pictures and glanced at each other in confusion. The first showed McGee again, but with a second cut to his arm, parallel to the first. The next picture was of a family in a cemetery, both unfamiliar to either man. The final picture showed a man and woman jogging.

"What in the hell?" muttered Tony. "These clues keep getting weirder and weirder."

Finally they removed the last item, another card. With feelings of trepidation, they both read the paragraph that was printed on the card in the now familiar writing.

_**I looked upon the scene before me - upon the mere house, and the simple landscape features of the domain - upon the bleak walls - upon the vacant eye-like windows - upon a few rank sedges - and upon a few white trunks of decayed trees - with an utter depression of soul which I can compare to no earthly sensation more properly than to the after-dream of the reveler upon opium - the bitter lapse into everyday life - the hideous dropping off of the veil. There was an iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart - an unredeemed dreariness of thought which no goading of the imagination could torture into aught of the sublime.**_

* * *

Anyone want to guess the source for the latest quote? ;)_**  
**_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Once again Tony found himself hanging on for dear life as Gibbs guided the sedan back to NCIS at breakneck speed. He tried to distract himself from his worry for McGee by going over the "clues" in his head. He was unfamiliar with the quote, and had no idea how the other two pictures were related, but he searched his memory for any connection to the team, no matter how tenuous. By the time they reached the Yard, he was beyond frustrated.

"Gibbs, this doesn't make any damn since, unless this guy is just leading us on a wild goose chase for his own amusement."

"Another reason why I didn't want to play his game, DiNozzo."

"Yeah, but we're not getting much of a choice. We still have no idea where to even _begin_ to search for Tim. I hope Ziva and Keating are having better luck than we are."

The two men stopped at Abby's lab first, and when they gave her the third jar of blood, she was outwardly calm, but the expression in her eyes reflected what he had been unwilling to admit: they were starting to worry that they wouldn't find their friend alive.

When they reached Autopsy, they saw that Ducky had recruited Palmer and they were both looking over the photos and notes. Ducky looked up as they entered.

"Jethro, Anthony, has there been…?" Gibbs set the newest set of pictures on the table. "Oh, dear. Was there another-?"

"Yeah. Same amount as the other two jars. We're past ten percent now."

"What will that do to him, Ducky?" asked Tony.

"That's still within acceptable limits, but much more and he will start to experience some difficulties, primarily tachycardia, and he will begin to feel agitated."

"I'm sure he's already agitated, Duck. Any luck on connecting all of this to a suspect?"

Ducky picked up the card with the latest quote. "It's Poe again, from 'The Fall of the House of Usher'."

"Oh, one of my favorites," blurted Palmer, earning him a triple glare. "Sorry."

"Yes, well, it is a rather morbid tale: a family, stricken by madness, and down to its last two members, a brother and sister. The sister succumbs to an illness and her brother, believing her dead, places her in the family crypt. The woman escapes from the crypt and exacts her revenge on her sibling."

"Revenge again."

"Yes, but in the mind of the abductor, revenge for _what_?" He examined the photos that Gibbs had placed on the table. "A cemetery, or perhaps a funeral? And this…is it referring to the couple, or running? I am afraid I see no connection to the others."

"Um, Dr. Mallard?"

"Yes, Mr. Palmer?" All three men focused their attention on the Autopsy Gremlin and he blushed under their gaze, but pushed forward with his line of thought.

"At least one picture from each set has to do with…burial, right? We have the cross, which could be a grave marker, then the mausoleum, and now a cemetery or funeral. And then there's…the blood. The guy is draining McGee's blood. Do you remember one case we had…the Meat Puzzle? The people who sent us the bodies kidnapped Dr. Mallard and tried to drain _his_ blood…they owned a funeral home."

"Wait, I remember that," said Tony. "The family faked one son's death and then he went after the people responsible for putting him in jail."

"Hanlan. Vincent Hanlan," said Gibbs. "His mother, Mary, was the one who tried to kill Ducky."

Ducky rubbed his neck. "Yes, I do remember that case. A wholly unpleasant experience."

"But Vincent killed himself, and Mary should still be in jail…and I should go check. On, it, Boss." Tony headed for the elevator.

"Good work, Palmer," said Gibbs before he turned and followed Tony.

Jimmy blushed again as a rather goofy grin spread across his face, which quickly faded when he caught Ducky's expression.

"Sorry."

"Mr. Palmer, what made you remember that particular case?"

"Oh…It was the first time, well, that I knew about, that someone tried to hurt you. It kind of left an impression. I mean, I was really worried, and…"

"Thank you, Mr. Palmer. As I remember, you were very helpful in discovering the identity of the deceased, or rather who it wasn't."

Jimmy blushed again. "Yeah, I guess."

Ducky gave the younger man a warm smile, which faded as he looked down at the evidence arrayed before them. "Now, let's see if we can figure out more about _this_ particular puzzle."

"Yes, Dr. Mallard."

XXX

When Gibbs and Tony stepped off the elevator into the bullpen, they received an unpleasant surprise.

"What the hell are you doing here, Tobias?" asked Gibbs as he approached his occupied desk.

"Get the hell off my desk, Slacks," growled Tony before Fornell could reply. He barely noticed the third member of Fornell's team standing next to Keating, who was looking distinctly nervous.

"They want to take over our case," replied Ziva as she glared at the group of FBI agents. Gibbs and Tony swore.

"Nice to see all of you, too," Fornell snapped. "But Agent David is only partially correct. We think McGee's abduction is related to one of our cases, and knowing how well you'd respond to us taking over completely, we're prepared to assist with this one."

"What case?"

"The abduction and murder of an FBI agent, four months ago," replied the agent standing behind Keating.

Gibbs turned to look at the woman: tall, severe looking, with dark brown hair twisted into a bun and wire-rimmed glasses covering her hazel eyes. "And you are?"

"Special Agent Sarah Connor."

Tony looked up at her in surprise as an unconscious grin spread across his face. "You're kidding." He glanced at Gibbs and Ziva, his grin faltering as he took in their expressions. "Oh, come on. _Terminator_?" He leaned towards the woman. "_'Come with me if you want to live_.'"

She stared at him, expressionless and his grin faded completely.

"I guess you get that a lot, huh?"

"No."

"Oh. Uh…shutting up, Boss," he said after catching Gibbs' glare.

The Lead Agent turned to Fornell. "The case. What happened?"

"I'd rather not discuss it here."

"Fine. All of you, conference room. Now. Not you, Keating," he said as the man rose from his desk. "I need you to locate Mary Hanlan and her family. They were part of one of our cases from about five years ago."

"Yes, Gibbs." Keating sat back down and started to type.

"What are the rest of you waiting for? Let's go." He headed for the conference room and Fornell's team followed.

"Who is Mary Hanlan?" asked Ziva as she and Tony brought up the rear of the procession.

"Some crazy woman that helped her son fake his death and then they went after Ducky."

"And why…?"

"Later." They stepped through the door and closed it before moving to one side of the table, opposite Fornell's team.

"Tell us about the case," said Gibbs, ignoring the rest of the team and focusing on Fornell.

"Four months ago, one of our agents didn't show up for work on Monday. We received a box with his ID, a video of the agent, bound and gagged, which also showed a quote, two pictures, and a note telling us to 'play the game'."

"Were the quotes by Poe?"

"No. Shakespeare."

"What about the blood?" asked Ziva.

Fornell shook his head. "No, that's new, but the rest of the M.O. is the same, from what your director told mine."

"So what exactly happened with your case, Fornell?" Tony asked as he tried to keep his voice calm.

"We were able to figure out the first set of clues, which led us to another, and so on. Each set had some personal connection to members of my team and our support staff. There were a total of five sets, and the last led us to the body of our agent."

"Body?"

"Apparently it took us too long to figure out the last clue and the killer got impatient. He cut Agent Parker's wrists and left him to bleed out. By the time we found him it was too late."

"That's not going to happen to McGee," declared Gibbs, as much for his team's benefit as to inform Fornell that they would do better. "What else?"

"No physical evidence was recovered from any of the scenes, the body, or the clues that were sent. This guy knows forensics, Gibbs, and knew a hell of a lot about my people. Sound familiar?"

"Yeah. Did you find a connection to any of your old cases?"

"No. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason as to why he chose that agent, or our team."

"We might-" Tony started to speak but Gibbs cut him off.

"Is there any connection between your agent and NCIS?"

"Not that we've been able to determine."

"Damn it."

"I figure the more we have working on this, the better. I know your team doesn't play well with others-"

"Understatement," muttered Sacks.

"Yeah, well, we tend not to want to work with people who accuse us of murder," snapped Tony.

"Or treason," added Ziva.

"Enough!" barked Fornell and Gibbs in unison. Tony, Ziva and Sacks fell silent, while Agent Connor watched them all, a slightly puzzled expression crossing her face.

"Alright, Tobias. Ducky and Palmer are working on the notes and pictures and Abby is working on the other evidence. We think we may have a connection to one of our old cases, and Keating is checking into it. Is there anything your team can add at this point?"

"You found a connection? What case?" asked Connor.

"We think there may be a connection to the Hanlan family."

"Never heard of them," said Sacks.

"Bunch of psychos," replied Tony. "They kidnapped Ducky and tried to bleed him to death."

"Why?"

"He helped put one of them away for murder."

"This wasn't ever an FBI case, was it?"

"No."

"So maybe there's no connection."

"Or maybe they decided to use your team for a trial run."

"Right, they took on the FBI as a dress rehearsal for NCIS? Come on!"

Suddenly both men winced and turned in surprise to find that their respective bosses had head slapped them.

"You done?"

"Sorry, Boss."

"Yes, sir. Sorry."

"Good. Tobias, why don't you send your agents to work with Keating. Maybe they can find a connection between the Hanlans and your agent?"

Fornell nodded to Sacks and Connor and reluctantly they left the room.

"So what now?"

"We go over the clues, again. Ducky thinks the guy is trying to tell us who he is and why he's doing this. If it isn't the Hanlans, then we need to find another lead."

"What do you have so far?"

"The first set of clues led us to a business owned by an acquaintance of Tony's, where the perpetrator left another set of clues, along with another jar of blood," said Ziva.

"The second lead us to a mausoleum where Ducky had interred a Jane Doe from an old case," continued Gibbs.

"Personal connections to your people. What about the next set?"

"Haven't figured that one out yet. The pictures were a family in a cemetery, and a man and woman jogging."

"What was the quote?" asked Ziva.

"It was from _The Fall of the House of Usher_. What that has to do with running…Ziva?" A startled expression had appeared on her face. "What's wrong?"

"I…what was the quote about?"

"It was describing the house," replied Gibbs. "Why?"

"Where I run, there is…a house that I pass on my route. I mentioned it to McGee and he said it sounded like something I would find in a ghost story. I took a picture of it and emailed it to him, and he said it looked like the House of Usher. He also said he'd have to go running with me some time so he could see it in person."

"Did you mention this to anyone else, Ziva?"

"No."

"Damn it, they hacked our email."

"That means he had to be looking for something specific to connect to Ziva. He's been planning this for awhile. When did you send the email?"

"A couple of weeks ago."

"Would any of the Hanlans be capable of that level of hacking?"

"No idea, Tobias, but I guess we better figure that out. Ziva, where is this house?"

"I will show you."

XXX

They arrived at the address in record time, since Ziva insisted on driving. The house was every bit as creepy as the description suggested, and Tony really wasn't looking forward to searching it. Luckily they didn't have to enter, as the now familiar box was sitting on the front step. Gibbs took care of opening it, and when he found yet another jar, Tony felt a surge of nausea that he barely managed to keep down, especially when he remembered what the FBI had found in their case.

Gibbs pulled out the first picture which showed McGee, and the number of cuts on his arm had increased to three. The young agent was way too pale, but his eyes were still open and appeared to hold life.

The next picture showed a large table draped with black fabric. Tony thought he had seen something like it, but the exact instance escaped him. The third picture showed what looked like a group of tourists being lead by a docent through a rather narrow indoor space, an image that meant nothing to Tony, but for some reason filled him with a sense of dread.

Finally, Gibbs pulled out the card with the quote, and all three leaned forward to examine the latest message:

…_**a cry, at first muffled and broken, like the sobbing of a child, and then quickly swelling into one long, loud, and continuous scream, utterly anomalous and inhuman — a howl — a wailing shriek, half of horror and half of triumph, such as might have arisen only out of hell, conjointly from the throats of the dammed in their agony and of the demons that exult in the damnation.**_

* * *

And another chance to play "guess the quote" ;)

3 more chapters to go. Please let me know what you think._**  
**_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The three agents looked up at each other, all with identical expressions of confusion and worry.

"I do not recognize this one, Gibbs," said Ziva. "It sounds like Poe, but…it is not immediately familiar."

Gibbs pulled out his cell phone and called Ducky as they all headed for the sedan.

"_Autopsy."_

"Duck, we found another box and we need help with the quote." He put the phone on speaker and Ziva quickly read the card once they had reached the vehicle and climbed in.

"_It's from 'The Black Cat'. A gruesome tale of insanity, cruelty, and murder."_

"Well that fits with everything else so far," muttered Tony.

"_Over the course of the story, the narrator, falling deeper into his addiction to alcohol, changes from a reasonable man into a killer. His crime is revealed by the title character. It's considered to be Poe's strongest denouncement of alcoholism."_

"Hanlan was an alcoholic. His mother blamed that on us, too," said Gibbs.

"_What about the photos?"_

"A tour group in what might be a basement and a table covered with black fabric."

"_And Timothy?"_

"More blood. The picture showed him with another cut to his arm. He looks bad, Duck, but still alive."

Ducky uttered a rather colorful phrase and sighed. _"Jethro…"_

"Don't say it, Duck."

"_Very well. I am afraid the other clues escape me at the moment. Perhaps when I actually see the contents of those photographs…"_

"We're on our way." He snapped the phone shut, only to have it ring almost immediately. "Yeah, Gibbs."

"_Agent Gibbs, this is Agent Keating. I found…well, one of the people you told me to find, but—"_

"Spit it out, Keating."

"_Mary Hanlan is dead. She died in prison a year ago."_

"How?"

"_Uh…cause of death is listed as a heart attack."_

"What about the rest of the family?"

"_Frederick Hanlan didn't show up to work last Friday and has not been seen or heard from since. Jonathan Hanlan has been missing for a week. I haven't been able to find any financial activity for either of them since they disappeared."_

"Keep looking." He snapped the phone shut again.

"Boss?"

"Mary Hanlan is dead. No known location on Fred or Jonathan."

"Well, you know, dead doesn't mean much to that family…sorry."

"Now what?" asked Ziva.

"Mary Hanlan was a manipulative bitch. She still might be controlling the actions of her husband and other son if she gave them one last job."

"And if not?"

Gibbs gunned the engine in reply.

XXX

Ducky studied the photos carefully. "Well at least one mystery is solved." He pointed to the photo of the table. "This is a catafalque, a raised platform to hold a coffin. This one looks very much like the Lincoln catafalque, which was used to hold President Lincoln's while he was lying in state at the United States Capitol. It's been used ever since for dignitaries lying in state at the Capitol, and I believe it's in display in the basement when not is use."

"Do they give tours of the area?" asked Tony. "That might explain the second photo."

"But it does not explain the connection to any of us, does it?"

"Doesn't ring any bells for me," said Gibbs.

"Me neither," said Palmer, and stammered slightly when they all turned to stare at him. "N-not to say I'd be included, but—"

"You're a member of the team, Palmer. No reason why you wouldn't be included."

"Uh, thank you, Agent Gibbs."

"That leaves Abigail," Ducky supplied.

"I need to take the rest of the box to her lab. Tony, Ziva, go see if Fornell's team has found anything yet."

"Boss?"

"Yeah?"

"If this guy is following the same pattern, then there's one clue left."

"Your point?"

"After we get that clue…we'll be racing against the clock. Tell me you have a plan, Boss."

"I have a plan, DiNozzo."

XXX

Gibbs carried the box into Abby's lab and found her almost manic with activity, dashing back and forth between her lab computer, her office, and her machines. The music which was usually played at an ear-splitting volume was silent and he could hear her chattering to herself as she worked, oddly oblivious to his presence.

"Abby," he said, finally getting her attention.

"Gibbs!" She spun around and faltered when she saw the box. "Is that…?"

"Yeah." To his surprise, she immediately took the box and set in on the table, then ran to grab some supplies.

"What are you doing?" He was concerned when she didn't immediately ask about the case. He knew one of her coping mechanisms was to sometimes detach from things that really upset her, which often did not work out well in the long run.

"I'm checking for concentrations of decomposition products. This should confirm what I found in the other samples." She turned to him to explain. "When cells begin to break down, they release certain volatile compounds. The amount of these in the blood plasma increases the longer it's been…outside the body and exposed to oxygen. The first jar you gave me has a lot higher concentrations, and they decrease with each of the next two. This means-."

"It wasn't all removed at the same time."

"From what I've been able to determine, there are several hours between each jar, so the overall loss was not as great a shock, and…he's still alive, Gibbs. He has to be."

"Yeah, but it also means this guy didn't leave the boxes at the same time. He's waiting to prepare each one. The bastard is keeping tabs on us." An uncomfortable thought rose in his mind, but he kept it out of his expression. "That's good work, Abbs."

She didn't even react to his praise but turned back to her work. This time he stopped her.

"Abbs, I need to ask you about the latest clue." That got her attention.

"What? What is it?"

He showed her the quote and the photos.

"_The Black Cat_? There's a club named that in northwest D.C. I've been there, but not recently." She looked at the photos. "A catafalque?" Suddenly her eyes widened. "Oh! D.C.!"

"Abbs?"

"It's…weird, Gibbs. But what does this have to do with-?"

"We'll get to that. What about the city?"

"It's not the city, Gibbs. It's…well, that catafalque in the one in the Capitol building, and there's a ghost story associated with it. Supposedly there's a phantom black cat, know as 'D.C.' – Demon Cat – that hangs out in the basement of the Capitol where the catafalque is stored."

"How do _you_ know that, Abbs?"

"The story's been around for years, Gibbs, but I...I learned it when I worked as a tour guide at the Capitol one summer. It was actually one of those things we weren't supposed to mention on the tour, but everyone knew and asked about it."

"_You_ were a tour guide?"

"Way before I came to NCIS. It was just for a summer and my cousin talked me into it."

"How many people know you had this job?"

"Well, anyone who took a tour with me, but…wait. Why are you asking me about this?"

"Because all of the clues have had some connection to the team: Tony, Ducky, and Ziva. This one didn't jog anyone else's memory, so it had to be connected to you."

"But that's…how does this guy know these things?"

"Working on that one. He's hacked our email at the very least."

"But this…this is pretty obscure, Gibbs."

"He wants us to know how well he knows us. Part of his game."

"Gibbs…how many more of these clues are we going to get? Tim can't…he can't lose much more blood, and-"

"Apparently just one more, which we need to find."

"So if these clues really are about me and I've interpreted them right, then you need to look at the Capitol."

"There's a problem. He'd have to have gotten that box past security. I don't see that happening." He was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone, which he answered. "Yeah, Gibbs…Who? Damn…I'll be right there." He snapped the phone shut and considered what he had just learned. His gut was telling him something, and he didn't like the suggestion at all.

"What is it?"

"Vance just got a call from the head of security at the Capitol. Apparently he has a package for us."

"Oh, God…"

Finally Gibbs made a decision. "Abbs, I need you to do something for me."

"Anything, Gibbs."

XXX

Tony watched the FBI agents work with a feeling of annoyance. So far they hadn't turned up any connections to the Hanlan case, and Tony had ignored Sacks' jibes that they were barking up the wrong tree. He trusted Gibbs' gut a hell of a lot more than he trusted the FBI and had barely managed to keep from saying that out loud. What he hadn't managed to do was to stop worrying about McGee. He knew the chances of finding his partner alive were dwindling, and when he thought about what McGee must be going through, his stomach churned. No one deserved that fate, especially Tim.

"Another dead end," grumbled Sacks from across the room. "This is a waste of time."

"Shut up, Slacks."

"It's 'Sacks', DiNutzo."

"Both of you shut up," said Connor, breaking her usual silence. "Our respective bosses have given us jobs to do, and until they say otherwise we do them."

"Nice to see at least someone from the Hoover building has sense," muttered Tony.

"Hey! You know what, I'm getting sick and tired of your attitude," Sacks snapped. "We're trying to help you."

"Bang up job so far."

"Will all of you please just stop," said Ziva. "This is not helping anyone. We need to concentrate on finding McGee."

The group lapsed back into relative silence. Tony tried to concentrate, but the images from the DVD and photos flooded his mind and his worry overwhelmed him. Finally he stood and announced "I'm going for coffee." He strode towards the break room and when he was out of sight of the bullpen, he slumped against the wall and closed his eyes, trying to will those horrible pictures from his mind.

"Hey."

He looked up and groaned. "What the hell do you want now, Sacks?"

The other man stared at him for a moment and sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. This case, it gets to you, you know? You're worried about your partner. Believe me, I know. I've been there."

"Right…Agent Parker." Tony studied the FBI agent. "Did you work with him for long?"

"A couple of years. He was a good kid. Smart as hell, but still naïve about some things. He was like…I don't know, the kid brother you need to watch out for."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. McGee's been with us for years, but sometimes…sometimes I still feel like I have to keep him out of trouble…and I didn't."

"Hey, man, this isn't your fault. Trust me, I know. This crap happens and there's not a whole hell of a lot we can do about it. We just deal with the fall-out."

"I don't want fall out. I just want to get him back." He glanced up at his companion. "Guess we better get back to it."

"Yeah, but I think _I'm_ gonna need that coffee."

"Yeah, me, too…" He sighed. "Thanks, man."

"Not a problem. And after this is all over…"

"We'll go back to hating each other's guts."

Sacks chuckled. "I can live with that. Come on."

XXX

Gibbs leaned over Vance's desk and spoke into the speaker of the Director's office phone, venting his frustration to the man on the other end of the line while Fornell paced behind Gibbs, listening.

"How the hell could someone get the box in there? And why didn't anyone notice until now?"

"_We're questioning the security staff. As soon as we have something, we'll call you."_

"We can't wait until then. We're going to need you to open the box and describe in detail what's inside."

"_Shouldn't we wait for—"_

"I already know what's going to be in there, I just need a description. Wear gloves when you open it."

"_Uh, OK."_ There were several moments of silence. _"There's a jar of red stuff. Wait…is this-?"_

"Never mind that. Describe the photos."

"_OK. There's one of a guy with cuts on his arms, three on one and one on the other. He, uh, kind of looks—"_

"He's not dead. What about the other photos?"

"_One is a picture of the inside of a chapel, and the other is…I think it's a morgue. Are you sure the guy's not dead?"_

"Yes. There should be a card with a message on it. Read it to me."

"_Yeah, here it is: 'the disease had sharpened my senses - not destroyed - not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad?' OK, that's creepy. Why would someone send you something like that?"_

"Working on it. Get everything to the Yard ASAP."

"_Yes, sir."_

Vance pressed the end call button and looked up at Gibbs. "Anything?"

"This one doesn't ring a bell, either. I guess we better call Palmer." Vance nodded and dialed Autopsy to request the young man's presence in his office.

"I don't get it. If this is the last clue, why didn't he leave a message for me?"

"His last message will be for you, Jethro," said Fornell, finally breaking his silence.

"What do you mean, Tobias?"

"When we found Parker, there was one last quote, and it was for me. One last twist of the knife, if you will."

"And you didn't think it was important to mention this earlier?"

"Would it have made a difference?"

The men glared at each other in silence until Palmer's arrival was announced by a knock on the door.

"Come in."

The door opened and Palmer poked his head into the office. "You wanted to see me, Director?"

"Looks like this last set is yours, Palmer," said Gibbs. Vance handed the young man a piece of paper with the transcribed conversation, which he quickly scanned.

"The quote is from '_The Tell Tale Heart'_. Similar idea to the last story, actually—"

"We're familiar with the work, Mr. Palmer," said Vance dryly.

"Oh, yes, of course. OK, uh…a chapel and a morgue. Well, I guess I know why you thought it would be for me…sorry. What did the chapel look like?"

"We'll find out soon enough. Any ideas?"

"Well…heart, chapel, morgue…wait. I think…I think I might know. It fits the clues, at least."

"What does?"

"Before I worked at NCIS, I was a morgue technician at a hospital. It was a church-run facility…Sacred Heart Memorial. It was a mental institution. It's shut down, now, has been for several years. The building is still standing, though, as far as I know."

"Is there anything else it could be?"

"Uh, no sir. Not that comes to mind right away."

"Fornell?"

"It makes sense. Agent Parker was found in an abandoned building."

"Go get your team. Let's go, Palmer." The men turned to leave as Vance spoke.

"Gibbs."

"Yes, Leon?"

"You'll let me know if you need back-up. And Jethro?" Gibbs turned, surprised at the man's softer tone.

"Yeah?"

"Good luck."

XXX

Three vehicles arrived at the abandoned hospital just as daylight was fading. Gibbs' team climbed out of their sedan and surveyed the building, with Fornell's team soon following suit. Ducky and Palmer emerged from the M.E.'s van and joined the other groups.

"Damn, this place is huge," muttered Sacks. "Shouldn't we call for backup?"

"No time. We'll need to split up to cover the most ground as fast as we can," replied Gibbs. "Duck, you're with me. Palmer, go with Fornell. The rest of you spread out, and don't take any chances. Check in every time you reach a new section. Understood?"

Fornell's team glanced at their boss for permission before checking their flashlights and heading towards the building, followed by Tony and Ziva.

"I sure hope you have better luck than we did, Jethro," said Fornell before motioning to Palmer and walking towards the building.

"Me too, Tobias," Gibbs said in a low voice. He looked at the rest of his team. "What are you waiting for? Let's go find McGee."

XXX

Tony tried very hard to keep his mind off the fact that he was wandering around by himself in a spooky old building in the dark. Instead, he concentrated on checking every room thoroughly. He also tried not to think about what might be happening to his friend as they searched the building, hoping to find him alive.

Tony listened intently, straining to catch the faintest sound that would signal either danger or the presence of McGee, but the space was eerily silent. He let Gibbs know he was entering another hallway and started towards the opposite end. As he swept his flashlight along the corridor, a flash of white on one of the doors caught his eye and he stopped to take a closer look. On the door was a card with the now familiar writing, this time in the form of a short poem. He barely had time to register the words before he felt an arm wrap around his neck, cutting off his air supply. He struggled but the choke hold worked too quickly. As the world began to fade into darkness, his last though was that he had actually heard the poem before, somewhere…

_Over the mountains  
Of the Moon,  
Down the Valley of the Shadow,  
Ride, boldly ride,  
The shade replied -  
If you seek for Eldorado!_

* * *

Well, now you know where I got the title ;) One more quote to guess, too.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Ziva swept the beam of her flashlight down the corridor and held her gun at the ready. She really did not like the current situation but it could not be helped. They needed to find McGee, and fast. She just hoped that Palmer had been right in his interpretation of the clues.

She quickly informed Gibbs where she was and continued down the hallway, stopping to carefully open each door and check each room. As she made her way further into the silent building, the hairs rose on the back of her neck. It was almost _too_ quiet…

"_Ziva?"_ The sudden sound of a voice in her ear caused her to jump and she gritted her teeth in frustration at her weakness before answering.

"Yes, Gibbs?"

"_Have you seen DiNozzo?"_

"No. He…he has not checked in, has he?"

"_It's been about ten minutes."_

"Perhaps he is having problems with his com," she said as she pushed down a sudden feeling of dread. "If I see him I will let him know."

"_Watch your back, Ziva. Something's not right."_

"Yes, Gibbs, I will."

She continued down the hall, her worry now even greater as she increased her pace. Soon she reached the end of the hall and turned the corner, freezing for a few seconds when she registered the sight of a figure crumpled on the floor near the middle of the corridor. After checking the rest of the area, she quickly moved the figure and rolled it over.

"Tony!" She checked for a pulse and was relieved when she detected a steady beat beneath her fingertips. She gave him a shake and he groaned. "Tony, wake up."

"Wha…?" He opened his eyes and squinted in the beam of her flashlight.

"What happened?"

"I…damn it, someone got the drop on me. I was just…_crap!_" He grabbed her light and shined it up the wall at the door. "Look."

She followed the beam of light and saw the card taped to the door.

"Is that…?"

"Yeah, another quote. Come on." He struggled to his feet and searched for his own flashlight, which he quickly found and returned Ziva's after he had retrieved it. He moved to one side of the door and she positioned herself on the other, both drawing their weapons. Tony reached out and turned the knob, then shoved the door open and immediately stepped through, quickly followed by Ziva. He started to sweep the room with the light and froze when the beam illuminated a body on the floor.

"Oh God…" He took a second look and felt both sick and relieved. "It's not McGee… and he's beyond help." A large dark stain had spread from the man's slit throat.

He heard a startled gasp and turned towards Ziva, who was already moving across the room towards a table holding another body. He immediately followed her and they both reached it at the same time. Tony looked down and the supine figure and felt his gorge rise.

"McGee…oh, man, what did he do to you?"

Ziva was already pulling off her jacket and wrapping it around McGee's right arm, covering the array of slashes that were leaking blood. Tony pulled off his own jacket and did the same to McGee's left arm which was also bleeding.

"McGee? Can you hear me?" Ziva patted his cold face but received no response. She placed two fingers on his neck and pressed down, checking for a pulse. The beat she felt was weak, but faster that she expected. "McGee?" She moved her hand to his chest and felt that his breathing was also fast and very shallow.

Suddenly a beam of light nearly blinded Tony and he looked up as it moved down to shine on the table. "Fornell?"

The older man let out a curse and motioned for his companion before pulling out his cell phone and quickly dialing a number. Jimmy soon appeared in the doorway and rushed towards the table.

"How is he? Sorry, stupid question. Vital signs?"

"His pulse is weak and fast, he is barely breathing and he is cold," replied Ziva, unable to keep the worry out of her voice.

"Shock." He noticed the makeshift bandages. "He was bleeding? How bad?"

"Bad enough," said Tony. He leaned down close to McGee. "Come on, Tim. You don't get to do this. You hear me? If you die, Gibbs will kill _me_, and then I'll be harassing you in the afterlife." When he received no response, he rubbed a hand roughly over his face and tried again. "Tim? Damn it, wake up!"

Jimmy opened his kit and pulled out an emergency blanket which he used to cover the trembling agent. "We need to get these restraints off him so I can raise his feet."

Ziva handed him her knife and he quickly cut through the leather straps pinning McGee's limbs to the table. He gave Ziva back her knife and used his own rolled up jacket to elevate McGee's legs just as Gibbs and Ducky arrived. The M.E. joined his assistant and started working on McGee.

"How is he, Duck?" barked Gibbs as he moved to the head of the table to get a better look at his agent and was flanked by Tony and Ziva. McGee's face was almost gray, with dark tinges around his eyes and mouth.

"We need to get him to a hospital, Jethro. I fear he has already lost too much blood, and aggressive resuscitation procedures are necessary at this point."

"Ambulance is on its way," said Fornell with a look of disgust on his face. "Idiot actually asked why I needed one when I'm already at a hospital." He touched his own com. "Sacks, Connor, where in the hell are you?" He waited and then replied to the responses he received. "Get up here: southeast wing, second floor, about halfway down the third corridor."

Gibbs ignored the rest of the occupants of the room and focused on the young man lying on the table. "McGee, listen: stay with me. Do you understand? Open your eyes and let me see that you understand me."

McGee's eyelids twitched and then they slowly opened about half way, revealing his glazed, unfocused gaze. He blinked once, seemed to focus slightly on Gibbs, and then his lids slid shut.

"McGee?"

"He's barely holding on, Jethro. Where the hell is that ambulance?"

They heard the sound of running feet and then Sacks, breathing heavily, appeared in the doorway, followed a few moments later by Connor. They both froze when they saw the scene in front of them. Fornell turned and gave them a glare before barking instructions. "Connor, got wait for the ambulance and bring them here as fast as you can." She nodded and dashed off. "Sacks, we're going to need to help Gibbs team after they get McGee out of here." He indicated the body on the floor. "We've got another crime scene."

Gibbs looked over at the still figure illuminated by Fornell's flashlight. "What in the hell?"

Fornell pointed to the scalpel in the man's fist. "Looks like he cut his own throat, probably after trying to finish off your agent. Do you recognize him?"

After a few more whispered words of encouragement. Gibbs finally moved away from McGee and walked over to the body. He gazed at the corpse's slack face and sucked in a breath in surprise before replying in a low voice. "Yeah, I do. It's Fred Hanlan."

XXX

Gibbs watched the paramedics load McGee into the ambulance. He wanted to go with him, but he knew there was nothing he could do for the younger man. Right now he had to deal with the crime scene and a puzzle where the pieces just didn't fit…or maybe fit a little too well.

"I can't believe it was _Fred_ Hanlan," said Tony as he, too watched the ambulance. "He really didn't seem the type, from what I remember. Do you think he was working alone?" Gibbs turned and gave him a '_what do you think'_ look. "So now we're looking for Jonathan?"

"As good a place to start as any."

"We have issued a BOLO," said Ziva, who was standing on the other side of Tony. "If he is out there, we will find him."

"I…Boss? Is McGee going to be OK?"

Gibbs sighed. "I honestly don't know, Tony."

There was an uncomfortable silence as all three worried for their teammate. The scene had provided evidence of what McGee had gone through, including a pile of bloody bandages that had indicated each wound had been tended after it was made in order to prolong the man's agony. He had been kept from bleeding out until the final clue had been revealed.

Finally Gibbs broke the silence. "Let's get everything here wrapped up, and then we'll concentrate on figuring out the rest."

As they were returning to the building, Ducky and Palmer emerged, wheeling a gurney holding a body bag.

"Duck?"

"I would not care to speculate until we get him to Autopsy."

"Understood. Do me a favor, Duck."

"Anything, Jethro."

"One of us should be with McGee. As soon as you can…"

"Of course. When he wakes up, he will need support…and someone who can sympathize."

"Thanks, Duck."

The group entered the building and made their way back to the crime scene. Fornell's team was already there, completing the documentation.

"Anything interesting?"

"Not so far. We've go some prints to send back. Maybe those will give us an idea if Hanlan had an accomplice or was working alone."

"Maybe."

Fornell stared at Gibbs for a moment before motioning him out to the hallway.

"You want to tell me what's going on?"

"Something doesn't feel right."

"You infamous gut again?"

"Infamous? How many times has it saved your ass?"

"Enough…so what are you going to do about it?"

"As I told DiNozzo, I have a plan."

XXX

Nearly twenty hours had passed since Tony had noticed the box on Gibbs' desk, and no resolution to the case was in sight. After giving Palmer detailed instructions on the treatment of the body in Autopsy, Ducky had gone to the hospital to find out what was happening with McGee. His latest report had not been encouraging: McGee was in critical condition and was being monitored closely for infection and other complications, but it was too soon to determine how badly his experience would affect him.

All of the agents on the case were currently in the bullpen, coordinating the search for Jonathan Hanlan or anyone else that could have worked with the elder Hanlan. So far they had had no luck, and the rising frustration levels among the agents were starting to take their toll. Tony and Sacks had managed to hold off sniping at each other, but that looked to be temporary as tempers flared with each dead end.

After a rather long phone call, Gibbs stood and announced he was going for coffee. Fornell stated his intent to join him, much to the apparent relief of the FBI agents. When it came to an unsolved case, they informed the NCIS agents, Fornell could be just as difficult as Gibbs

Once inside the elevator, Fornell turned to his companion. "We're not really going for coffee, are we?"

"Nope."

They traveled the rest of the way down in silence, and when they reached their destination they received the third degree from a very irate forensic scientist. Finally she settled down to explain her findings.

"I did what you asked, Gibbs. It's all pretty circumstantial, but…" She told them what she had found, _everything_ she had found, and Fornell could only stare in shock.

"How did we miss this?"

"Oh trust me, it wasn't all that easy to find. Someone's been through the trail before, making sure some important stuff disappeared, but I got creative in my search."

"This is good work, Abbs."

"She's right, though. It is all pretty circumstantial. How are you going to-?"

He was interrupted by the ringing of Gibbs' cell phone. Gibbs pulled it out and checked the number before answering. "Yeah, Duck?" He listened. "OK. I need you back here ASAP. Meet me in Abby's lab. I'm going to need your help. Thanks."

"What was that all about?" asked Fornell. "How's McGee?"

Gibbs ignored him and turned to Abby. "I have another job for you."

XXX

Tony looked up from his desk as Fornell and Gibbs returned, coffee in hand. The two men immediately got back to work and Tony glanced back at his computer monitor, barely aware what was displayed on it. His mind was on McGee, and the fact that they hadn't heard from Ducky for quite awhile. He was more worried than he would ever admit, and while he kept telling himself that everything would be fine, some reassurances would have been nice…

The elevator chimed and he looked up to see Ducky step out, looking quite haggard. The M.E. made his way to the bullpen and addressed the occupants.

"I am afraid…I have some distressing news."

"What happened, Ducky?"

"It appears that the blood loss and consequential lack of oxygen has had extremely detrimental effects. The doctors now believe that…Timothy has suffered irrevocable damage and, even if he somehow does manage to survive the next twenty four hours, it is highly unlikely that he will ever regain consciousness. I am so sorry."

Tony felt like someone had punched him in the gut. He glanced at Ziva and saw his own distress reflected in her eyes.

_No, damn it! This isn't right! This can't happen, not to Tim…_

His panicked thoughts were soon interrupted by Gibbs' voice, colder than he had ever heard it before.

"Is there some reason why that makes you _happy_, Special Agent Connor?"

Tony's attention immediately turned to the woman in question. "What?"

"She smiled," said Gibbs. "When Ducky told us about McGee. I guess she couldn't help herself."

"No, of course I didn't," stammered the woman. "Why would you even suggest-?"

"I don't have to. Got it all on tape." He pointed to the bullpen camera. "Specially focused on you…right, Leon?" They all turned to see the director standing on the catwalk.

"Absolutely, Agent Gibbs. And I would very much like to hear you explain it, Agent Connor."

"I—"

"You were behind this all along," said Gibbs, "and you covered your tracks pretty well, but you missed a few things when you tried to pin this on Fred Hanlan."

"You're out of your mind…why would I do such a thing?"

"Simple: revenge. On the Hanlan family."

"I've never even heard of them before this, so why…?"

"Marco Cesaretti. Lead detective in the Hanlan case, one of the people responsible for putting Vincent Hanlan away, and one of the people he murdered after he got out and faked his own death. Your father and Cesaretti were best friends."

"So? What makes you think I care about someone my father knew?"

"Maybe because he was also your godfather." Gibbs walked over and picked up the remote for the plasma from Tony's desk. He clicked it and a picture appeared. "You went to his funeral. You knew him. He was the reason you went into law enforcement." Gibbs clicked the remote again and a news clipping popped up with several lines of text highlighted. "Your own words. You and your father also blamed NCIS for his death, according to your father. We spoke to him. He confirmed your desire for revenge against both NCIS and the Hanlans. It seems you two didn't think we acted fast enough."

"You didn't," she spat, her façade finally crumbling. "You were given a puzzle and you didn't figure it out in time to save Uncle Marc. You had the evidence for almost_ six months_ and you didn't do _anything!_ Not until one of your own people was in danger." She shot Gibbs a venomous look. "And now, you lost one of your people. How does it feel, Agent Gibbs?"

"What about Parker?" growled Sacks, momentarily recovering from his shock. "What did he do to deserve-?"

"I didn't kill Parker. That was a real case. I had nothing to do with it, but I did admire the killer's creativity." She turned to Fornell. "I knew if I used a method similar to one of our cases, you would want to be in on it, and I could keep tabs on what was going on." She turned back to Gibbs. "I could keep one step ahead, and eventually set up an electronic trail pointing to the one member you didn't trust, the one your Director would have to assign to you when you lost your computer expert." She looked pointedly at Keating, who turned bright red and sputtered in anger. "Everything was going great until…"

"You got to the hospital, and you went to check on McGee before the rest of us could get there and you ran into DiNozzo. He almost ruined your whole plan."

"But why was Hanlan there?" asked Keating, still looking quite indignant.

"It's amazing how easy it is to manipulate some people," Connor sneered. "I told him I would help him get revenge on the agency that had ruined his family. Too many years being henpecked by a dominant bitch of a wife, and he was easy control. Unfortunately he balked at the final step…"

"And you killed him. Tried to make it look like he had killed himself, just like his son did. But you messed up."

"The cut was the wrong angle to be self inflicted," said Ducky. "It had been made from behind by someone several inches taller than the unfortunate Mr. Hanlan. Someone about _your_ height."

Connor stared at Ducky for a brief moment before addressing Gibbs. "You knew before, though, didn't you? You wouldn't have time afterwards to do the research."

"I had an idea. I was pretty damn sure Hanlan didn't have the technical skills to get all of the background on us he had to have had to leave those clues. I knew it had to be someone with real access. Someone like an FBI agent with a degree in computer science, one she didn't emphasize to her boss."

"Well, you know how you old school guys treat the geeks."

"You honestly believed you would not get caught?" asked Ziva, anger dripping from every word.

"No. I just didn't care. Seeing you and the rest of the mighty 'team Gibbs' chasing after ridiculous little clues like keystone cops? I'll enjoy that memory for the rest of my life."

"Which might be shorter than you think," growled Tony as he stepped towards her, only to be restrained by Gibbs.

Fornell stepped behind the woman and pulled her arms behind her back before fastening the cuffs around her wrists. "I think that's plenty for now. You know what this means, don't you, Connor?"

"What?"

"You're terminated." Fornell sent Tony a grin before marching the woman towards the elevator. Sacks stared after the pair, shook his head, and then followed.

"One more thing," said Gibbs, and the trio paused. He walked up to the woman and leaned in. "Something you should have considered before you offended me and my team with your sick little game."

"Yeah, what's that?"

_"Nemo me impune lacessit."_

A startled expression crossed her face before she was shoved forward by her former team as they lead her out of the building.

Tony watched the agents lead Connor away and everything that had just happened hit him. He nearly collapsed into his chair as he remembered what Ducky had told them about Tim.

"You OK, Tony?" asked Gibbs, a rare display of genuine concern crossing his face.

"No…not really." He sighed and turned to the M.E. "Ducky, is there any chance…?"

"Anthony…" He turned to the other member of the team, who had been mostly silent. "Ziva, I am afraid…that it is time to invoke Rule 18," the M.E. said with a rather rueful smile.

Tony stared at the older man in surprise. "'It's better to ask forgiveness than permission.' Ducky…why would you need forgiveness?"

"Because the situation warranted that I also use Rule 7."

"Rule 7?" asked Ziva. "That's—"

"'Always be specific when you lie,' finished Gibbs. "We wanted to give you a heads up, but we couldn't do it without raising suspicion."

Tony stared at Ducky in shock. "You lied?" Suddenly it dawned on him and a hopeful grin formed on his face. "You _lied!_ About McGee. He's-?"

"He's going to be fine, Tony. He'll be off work for awhile, but he'll be OK," replied Gibbs.

Both agents slumped in relief. "May we go see him?" asked Ziva, sounding almost giddy.

Gibbs just smiled and headed for the elevator, with the rest of his team right behind.

* * *

A/N: _Nemo me impune lacessit – _the Montressor family motto from 'The Cask of Amontillado', translated as "no one who offends me goes unpunished".

The last clue was the last verse of _Eldorado_, by Poe. The main character, a knight, is searching for the mythical city of gold, Eldorado. The last verse suggests it can't be found during life. The poem was quoted in a movie of the same name (starring John Wayne), which is where Tony heard it ;)


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

After a brief argument with the head nurse concerning the breach of visiting protocol, and Ducky's assurances that they would keep their visit as short as possible, the group made their way to McGee's hospital room. Before they even reached the door they were greeted by Abby.

"Gibbs! Did it work? Did you get her?"

"Like a charm, Abbs, and ex-Agent Connor is in federal custody."

"Good. Otherwise I would have had to go after her myself for what she did to Timmy."

"How is he, Abby?" asked Tony, concerned that she had been in the hall instead of the room itself.

"He's getting better. The doctor is in with him now." A brief flash of worry crossed her face. "He's still really weak, but…this was way too close, Gibbs."

"Yeah. Yeah, it was."

"But he will be all right, yes?" asked Ziva, just as the door to Tim's room opened and the doctor emerged, obviously surprised by the large group of people in the hallway.

"You're here to see Agent McGee? All of you?" They nodded. "How did you manage…never mind. Agent Gibbs, right?" Gibbs nodded. The doctor shook his head, barely hiding a smile.

"How is he, Doc?"

"Considering what he's been through, fairly well. We will need to keep him here for a few days to monitor him for infection and other complications, and he's not going to be able to do much with his arms for awhile, but the total damage is not as bad as it could have been. Physically, he should make a full recovery, although it will take time."

"What about…?"

"Psychologically? That's going to be a little more difficult, but I think he will manage."

"He will. And we will help."

The doctor smiled at Ziva. "From what I have heard about your team, I wouldn't have expected anything less." He stepped away from the door. "You can go see him now. I only ask that if he is asleep, not to wake him up. He needs his rest."

"Thanks, Doc," said Gibbs. He opened the door and held it while the rest of the group filed in, forming a circle around McGee's bed. They all stared down at the sleeping man, and while they felt relief that he was in much better shape than they had found him, he was still way too pale and still for their liking.

After a few minutes, McGee's eyelids fluttered and he slowly opened them. His gaze moved to each member of the team and a look of relief crossed his face.

"Hi…"

"Hey, McGee, how are you feeling?" Tony was the first to speak and McGee focused on the older man for several moments before he responded.

"Kinda…drained."

Tony stared at him for a few seconds and then groaned when he saw McGee's weak smile. "Oh God, Tim. That was...that was _bad_, even for you."

"Thanks…"

"Hey, at least you kept your sense of humor, right?" An awkward silence followed. "I'm sorry, man."

"You know…rule…"

"Yeah, I know."

"What…happened?"

They took turns explaining what had occurred. It was obvious that McGee was trying to focus on their words, but by the end of the narrative his eyelids were starting to drift shut.

"Sorry, McGee. You should get some rest." Tony patted him on the shoulder and stepped back, but paused when he saw McGee's expression. "What's wrong?"

"Why…?"

"You have a rather arduous recovery ahead of you, Timothy," responded Ducky. "You need as much sleep as possible in order to regain your strength."

"No…why did she…we did all we could…with that case, so why…?"

"'_Only a fool looks for logic in the chambers of the human heart'_," quipped Tony, and winced. "Thanks, Boss."

"She was wrong, Tim," said Gibbs. "About a lot of things."

"Oh…"

Gibbs turned to stare at the rest of his team and they quickly got the message.

"We really should go, McGee. We will be back later," said Ziva as she leaned forward and kissed his forehead. Abby gave him a very gentle hug and kissed him as well.

"It's good to have you back, McGee," said Palmer and waved as he backed out of the room, followed by Abby and Ziva. Tony clapped McGee on the shoulder and gave it a brief squeeze before leaving as well.

"If you need anything, Timothy, do not hesitate to ask. I will do what I can."

"I know…you always do, Ducky."

The M.E. patted his hand and then left, leaving McGee alone with Gibbs.

"Boss?"

"Yeah, McGee?"

"Thanks…for finding me."

Gibbs smirked. "Couldn't leave you behind, Tim. You know that."

"Yeah…but this…this was pretty bad…wasn't it?"

Gibbs was silent for a few moments. "Abby was right."

"About?"

"It was too close."

"Sorry…"

"Not your fault, Tim. Now get some sleep."

When McGee didn't respond, Gibbs took a closer look at the younger man and saw that he was finally getting the rest he needed. The Lead Agent sat down in one of the chairs, leaned back and briefly closed his eyes. The worry he had experienced for the past day finally caught up with him and he let out a shaky sigh. What had happened, what he had almost lost, bothered him a lot more than he was able to show on the surface.

"_How does it feel, Agent Gibbs?"_

He hated how it felt, even though he had managed to get his agent back alive, it still hurt, re-awakening a pain he had felt long ago: the loss of family.

Even though he knew it was unlikely, hoped he would never feel it again.

XXX

McGee awoke with a start, his breath coming in short gasps as he looked around for the scalpel he could still see so clearly. When he realized what had happened, he worked to slow his breathing and groaned. The nightmares that had occurred whenever he tried to sleep had not abated, despite several talks with Ducky about his experiences. The M.E. had assured him that the dreams would become less frequent, and even though they would probably never disappear completely, McGee would certainly learn to deal with them, as he had managed to deal with everything else that had been thrown his way over the years.

_Take it one day at a time_, his mother had advised on the rare occasions he had let something slip about his work. _It will be OK._

"God, I hope so," muttered McGee, and was startled by a light knock on the door. He looked up and stared at the man in the doorway for a few seconds before his was able to match a name to the face in front of him.

"Agent Keating? What are you doing here?"

"I, uh, just came by to wish you a speedy recovery."

"Thanks…" McGee noticed the embarrassed expression on the other man's face and managed a faint smirk. "You're still working with Gibbs, aren't you?"

"Yeah…kind of the major reason why I want you to get well, and _back_, as soon as possible." He blushed slightly and looked at the floor.

"Yeah, I can kind of understand that. You haven't had the greatest of luck in being part of Gibbs' team."

"Yeah, tell me about it. You know…I'm almost jealous of you, and then again…I'd never want to be in your shoes."

McGee was surprised at the agent's candor. "Why?"

"You guys, your team, you're…you all belong together. You're a _real_ team. I've never seen another one like it, in all the years I've been at NCIS. I never fit with a team like yours, and it's…it's nice that you do have that. But then again, you guys get caught up in some of the worst stuff. How do you deal with it?"

Tim looked back, over all the things that had happened to him, the good and the bad, since he had joined Gibbs' team. Keating was right: they did get dealt a lot of crap, but overall, despite everything, they were there for each other. Sure, there had been some bumps in the road, but there wasn't another group of people he trusted more to have his back…no matter what.

He looked up at Keating and answered, as much for the other man as for himself.

"How do I deal with it?" He managed a smile. "One day at a time, Keating…one day at a time."

_THE END_

* * *

A/N: The movie Tony quoted in this chapter was _O Brother, Where Art Thou_ (one of my favorites, and I thought the title sort of fit).

Thanks for reading!


End file.
